What is a monthly notebook?
The concept behind the “monthly notebooks” collection was that I wanted a notebook that I could (a) carry around everywhere which is why is it small and thin, and (b) I wasn’t afraid to use which is why I dedicate it a monthly notebook. Basically an everyday carry notebook (EDC) as they are often referred to now.
Over the years this has developed into having two monthly notebooks. One as a main monthly notebook (either A4/A5 in size) and one which is a pocket notebook.
I aim to fill it up within a month (or quicker) so that I get all my ideas onto paper for future use which is much more productive and useable. No matter how silly the information goes in there and I weed through it at the end of the month extracting what I want to keep.
The notebook then goes onto my shelf so I can look at it again at a later date when I want inspiration. Which leads me to (c) use it to store Inspiration.
Why should you be using a notebook like this?
You should always carry a notebook around with you if you are a creative individual. Whether it is for writing down ideas, sketching, notes, etc. Some people use their iPhones for this, but I find a monthly notebook much easier for the ideas to flow and more manageable. I can still file, sort and revisit at the end.
The small cheap notebooks make it easy to carry around. The fact that is cheap means you don’t mind using it but doesn’t mean you can’t pick out a nice notebook that you still want to use. Using the notebook is the first step. Once you get into a routine you will be surprised how often the thoughts come.
After all, why do you think people always say you should keep pen and paper by your bed – because inspiration comes when you don’t expect it and when you are not thinking about it… but you need to write it down quickly before you forget.
What makes a good monthly notebook?
Any notebook can make a good monthly notebook. The only requirement is that you use it for the month as a mind dump. I use a wide variety of notebooks as monthly notebooks from A5 notebooks to pocket notebooks. The other great thing is that you can then review these notebooks and this acts as a useful end of month review and usually sets the goal posts for the next month and can feed into your other notebooks, goals and projects etc.
I quite often scan and archive important information/content as well and extract it from the rambling content to use it. It can also provide space for idea generation and a to-do list.